Locking means for cut-offs



y 7- A. F. CRAVER 2,086,294

LOCKING MEANS FOR CUT-OFFS Filed April 21, 1954 'IIIIF I "II r 4 1 INVENTOR \n to Q bert F. Cram-er v Q "3 BY am w 4%;

ATTORNE Patented .luly 6, 1937 t V 7' I t V mi'ra STATES PATENT'OFFICE' 2,086,294 LOCKING MEANS FOR CUT -OFFS Albert F. Graver, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to The Cleveland Heater Company, Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 21, 1934, Serial No. 721,754

3 Claims. (Cl."126-351) This invention relates to a locking means for varied, by rotating the cross-head 16. Variation use 011 Valves d more p t y for use on of this relationship provides adjustment forthe valves operated by such means as a thermostat. temperature at which the valve operates. Piv' It prevents the operation of the valve in one otally mounted on the cross-head, are arms l8 5 direction until such a time as a release mechaurged inwardly towards each other by a spring 5 7 nism is actuated. It is especially applicable for l9. On the ends of the arms are rollers 20, ari use on gas water heaters. ranged to operate over the duo-frusto conical In the usual set-up for a gas water heater, a cam 2|. This cam is fastened to one end of thermostatically controlled valve is placed in Valve stem 22, to the other end of which a valve the gas line so that its thermostat shall be actuhead 23 is secured by a ball and socket joint 24. 10 ated by the temperature of the heated water. te ediate the cam and e a ve d Usually, this thermostatic control comprises a 23 i5 Secured a fi e diaphragm having l s simple valve in the fuel line of the heater, which 26 and 21 in abutting relationship thereto. This valve is open whenever the water cools off and diap provides a tight Seal as s Well known closes when it heats up to a predetermined point. in the art. The valve 23 seats against the valve 15 It is not unusual that a demand exists for a cer- Seat 28 and by o s e w f fuel 1 tain quantity of water, but there is no necessity from the gels main to the e ite It Will be of continuously heating the boiler. obvious that a thermostatic control is provided This invention has provided means such that the fuel pp y to the Water heaterv 2 a single boiler full of hot water may be provided, To the end 0f the thermostat di'aeelot the after'which the thermostatically controlled valve Valve 23 isrseellred the thermostat 100k The automatically closes as usual. To this has been 100k Comprises a dy ber 9 Screwadded a lock that engages against the closed threaded as at 30 into the thermostat, or more valve and maintains it closed even against later particularly. t e thermostat V e S Repressure of the thermostat. The lock may be reoiprooably m unt d in the dy m mber 29, is a leased only by manual operation. plunger 3| having a spring 32 therearound abut- This type of control may be designated as semiin a a h d 33 to r e the ad 53 against automatic since it automatically heats one sup- Valve head e Spring 32 maintains the Phi of water, but must be manually operated b head 33 in contact with valve head 23. The end fore any further Water may be heated. 0f the Plunger 3| Opp s te d 3 s p ed as 30 n is to be observed that a lock of this type at Reciprocally mou ted to e in a direcmay be used on any similar reciprocating eletiOll at right angles o that Of p t is a ment. And in particular, it may be used where nd p unger 35 moving in a cylin r l D the reciprocating element is a member of an electiOIl 35 of b dy e be e p r 35 is 5 trical control. urged in a downward position as shown in Fig. 35

In th drawing Figure 1 is View partly in 2 by spring 31 contained in a bore 38 of the section of the thermostat and lock with the p un a d a ut a a st ap member valve in open position, Intermediate its ends, plunger 35 isprovided Figure 2 is a vertical section of the lock in With p rin walls 40 ainst whic n e th 0 looking position. tapered end 34 of plunger 3|. To the end of 40 In Fig. 1, l9 indicates generally the thermostat plunger 35 opp s te t e pl 39 i p ov ed a butsecured to the boiler ii at on nd, and t th ton 4| for manual operation. Particular attengas line i2 adjacent to the other end, and having n is t be p d t the tap wall 40. t a

at the latter end the l ck 53. Th ther t t commodates for variations in manufacture, and

includes the heat responsive unit l4 located Withalso comp n a e for Wear in the parts- The 1 45 in the boiler to be aflected by the termperature t elll P t Of Contact between the P 8 3! of the water therein. Connected to the unit l4 an-d'the taper makes no difierence, since the I is a bellows I5, expansible axially of the thermospring 3'! will always actuate plunger 35 downstat in response to expansion of the usual fluid wardly to force taper 40 until contact with contained therein and in the unit M. Secured to plunger 3! takes place, regardless of the point 50 the bellows l5 and movable therewith, is acrosscontact occurs. And by making the walls tahead I6. The means by which the cross-head pered, a tight fit with no play will be thereby i6 is secured to the bellows 15 comprises a screwefiected under all circumstances.

thread H, by means of which the relationship The operation of the device is as follows:

between the cross-head and the bellows may be In case a tank full of hot water is desired and 55 cold and the bellows l5 contracted toward the right as shown in Figure 1. This draws the crosshead 16 and the rollers 20 to the right. As soon as rollers 29 pass beyond the apex of the cam 2|, the cam 2| is urged with a snap action to the left, opening valve 23. As shown in Figure 1, button M has been pressed upwardly against the action of spring 31, permitting plunger 3| to slide to the left against the smaller portion of the taper 4B. The movement of the plunger 31 to the left is, of course, produced by the action of the valve in opening. The button 4! will have to have been opened manually.

Gas may now flow past the valve 23 and into the heater whereupon the water in boiler l I is heated. As soon as the supply is heated, the thermostat element l4 expands, moving cross-head i6 and rollers 20 to the left as shown in Fig. 1, and valve 23 is closed.

Through the action of spring 32, plunger 3| follows the movement of valve 23 to the right, permitting plunger 35 to move downwardly under the action of its spring 37, to the position shown in Fig. 2.

In case the thermostat later demands more heat and tends to urge the valve 23 to open position, motion of the valve 23 is prevented by plunger 3| that is locked in its right hand position as shown in the drawing. The taper of plunger 3! as shown at 34 and the taper of plunger 35 are such that the plunger cannot be moved upwardly against the action of spring 3] by pressure to the left exerted against head 33 and plunger 3 I.

Therefore, as will be readily understood, for any further operation of the heater, it is necessary for the operator to release the look by pressing button 4| upwardly whereupon the valve 23 will quickly open. In the open position as shown in Fig. 1, the pressure of spring 37 is insufiicient to force plunger 3| to the right against the pressure of the thermostat.

In this specification and claims, it is to be understood that the term fuel is used generically to include all fuels, such as oil or gas; and that the term valve includes any fluid cut-off means. Furthermore, although the bellows mechanism here shown is described as a thermally responsive element, it is to be understood that equivalent structure, and equivalent usages, such as use in response to pressure changes, may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a fuel supply passage, valve mechanism including a fuel control valve in said passage, a thermostat, snap-action mechanism connecting said thermostat and valve, said mechanism including resilient means whereby to transmit a limited force from said thermostat for opening or closing said valve, and means operable automatically when said valve is closed to overcome the maximum opening force transmitted by said snap-action mechanism to thereby hold said valve in closed position.

2. In combination with a fuel supply passage,

valve mechanism including a fuel control valve in said passage, a thermostat, snap-action mechanism connecting said thermostat and valve, said mechanism including resilient means whereby to transmit a limited force from said thermostat for opening or closing said valve, means operable automatically when said valve is closed to overcome the maximum opening force transmitted by said snap-action mechanism to thereby hold said valve in closed position, and means for releasing said last named means to permit operation of said valve.

3. In combination with a fuel supply passage, valve mechanism including a fuel control valve in said passage, a thermostat, snap-action mechanism connecting said thermostat and valve, said mechanism including resilient means whereby to transmit a limited force from said thermostat for opening or closing said valve, means operable automatically when said valve is closed to overcome the maximum opening force transmitted by said snap-action mechanism to thereby hold said valve in closed position, and a manually operable device connected to said means whereby the same may be released to permit operation of said valve.

ALBERT F. CRAVER. 

